First Apple Store opens in Brazil, get your iPhone now for only... $1,174!

Brazil's first Apple Store, announced earlier this month, opened this weekend in Rio de Janeiro. The opening was attended by 1,700 people in a suburban mall. Brazil is an important expanding market for Apple, though the company faces challenges due to high tariffs on imported products. The price of the iPhone in Brazil, for instance, is nearly double the unsubsidized price that customers in the U.S. pay, according to the LA Times:

"Apple’s 16-gigabyte, contract-free iPhone 5s will sell for 2,799 reais ($1,174) in Brazil. That compares with $649 in the U.S. and 5,288 renminbi ($872) in China. The price of the iPhone 5s in Brazil, offered by authorized resellers, has jumped 17% since September on Apple’s website."

Are you happy that Apple is expanding into Brazil, and where should they go next? Let us know in the comments below.